The Social Security Disability system in the United States is very complicated. Whether you are a recently disabled father trying to provide for your family, a single mother who can no longer work because of an illness, or the parent of a child who needs extra help because of a challenging condition, obtaining benefits is not easy. The “system” involves a complex set of rules and requirements that make it very hard for the average person to successfully receive payments.

There is hope, however, and we appreciate you looking for help here. Our law firm provides unique benefits to clients just like you, which include:

  • A singular focus on representing the injured and disabled.
  • Having all important work performed by an experienced disability attorney.
  • A guarantee that you pay no fees unless you obtain social security disability benefits.
  • A proven track record of success in both routine and difficult cases.

Regardless of whether you are considering filing for benefits for the first time, or have been denied numerous times in the past, please call our office at (404) 255-9838. We will discuss your options free of charge, and help you make an informed decision about what to do next. We look forward to talking with you.

Published on:

By

In a disturbing trend, more and more younger women are being diagnosed with later stage breast cancer.

A study recently found that between 2000 and 2015, the number of women below the age of 40 who were diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer increased by more than 4%. According to the American Cancer Society, women below the age of 40 account for approximately 6 percent of all breast cancer cases diagnosed in the United States.

Stage four breast cancer is the most lethal stage of the disease, and at this point, it is very likely that cancer cells have spread to other areas of the body and infected other organs, including the lungs and liver.  According to another study, approximately 27% of people who have been diagnosed with stage four breast cancer live for an average of 5 years after the diagnosis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that, overall, 11% of all persons diagnosed with breast cancer are below the age of 45.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

If you owe the Internal Revenue Service back taxes, your disability benefits may be used to pay back some of those taxes in a process called garnishment.

Garnishment is a process by which a person’s income may be seized in order to meet a tax debt. That income may include not only your salary, but also other forms of income including your retirement account, rental income if you have any, dividends, and other sources of income. Unfortunately, it may also include the Social Security disability payments that you receive every month.  If you owe the IRS back taxes and are currently on disability, your disability payments may be used to satisfy the debt.

That is the bad news. The good news is that there is a limit on how much of your disability payments can be garnished to satisfy the debt. Typically, the Internal Revenue Service can only garnish up to 15% of your monthly disability checks. Moreover, the garnishment doesn’t happen by surprise, and you will receive advance warning before the garnishment begins. If you believe that the garnishment will place you in grave financial distress, talk to a professional to identify other strategies to satisfy your tax debt without having your disability payments impacted in any manner.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Social Security recipients in 2022 will benefit from an increase in the cost-of-living adjustment in the amount of 5.9%.

That is a significant increase over the 1.3% increase that was implemented in the year 2021.  It marks the highest such increase in the cost-of-living adjustment in more than 10 years.

The cost-of-living adjustment is calculated by inflation rates.  Inflation has risen by a significant 5%, the highest increase in more than a decade.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

Before you decide to volunteer while on Social Security disability benefits, think carefully about the amount of volunteer work you are doing and whether this will have any effect on your benefits.

Being disabled can be a lonely experience, and it can be useful for a person who is unable to work to spend time volunteering in an organization. This can keep a person occupied and improves one’s mental outlook and status.  However, doing volunteer work while on disability, could impact disability benefits.

Make sure that the volunteer work you do does not contrast with your disability. If your disability is related to a spine injury or back pain, don’t volunteer for a job with prolonged standing, walking or with heavy exertion.  Take care not to volunteer for more than a few hours in a week. Your disability benefits may be at risk if you work on a volunteer basis for an amount of time equal to a full or part-time job.  Such volunteer work could be deemed to be equivalent to monetary compensation.  If you receive monetary compensation or volunteer work comparable to monetary compensation, and that amount meets or exceeds the Substantial Gainful Activity level, your benefits will be at risk.  The Social Security Administration could determine that you are capable of working to earn a sustainable income, and your benefits could be at risk.

Published on:

By

A new study confirms what we have known for a while now-symptoms of long Covid  affect more survivors than earlier believed.

confirms what we have known for a while now-symptoms of long Covid  affect more survivors than earlier believed.

The study was conducted in Wuhan, China where the pandemic began.  Researchers found that close to half of all COVID-19 patients who recovered from the disease continued to suffer symptoms of long Covid more than a year after their symptoms were first diagnosed. The results of the study were published in The Lancet Journal recently.

Continue reading →
By
Posted in: Covid- 19
Published on:
Updated:
Published on:

By

The average Social Security disability benefits payout this year amounts to $1,277. According to the Social Security Administration, it paid out this amount to the average disabled worker as well as dependant in December 2020.

Overall, according to data by the Social Security Administration, a total of 8.2 million disabled workers received benefits in 2020, totalling more than $10.5 billion in benefits to disabled workers. Approximately 1.5 million dependants of disabled workers received benefits during this time, totalling 600 million dollars paid out to dependants.  Overall, the Social Security Administration paid out more than a trillion dollars in benefits during the period, paying more than 65 million beneficiaries.

Disabled workers, however, did not receive the majority of Social Security benefits. They accounted for 13.8 percent of benefits. Retired workers received a majority of benefits, accounting for more than 74 percent of benefits paid out.

Continue reading →
Published on:

By

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, the state is seeing a surge in Covid-19 infections, with the numbers close to the highest on record since January. Most infections are linked to the Delta variant, a highly contagious strain of the virus that has been linked to a surge in infections globally.  Georgia health officials say that as many as 9 in 10 infections are linked to the Delta variant. The state has also recorded the highest weekly totals in infections since the start of the pandemic, and many counties have now been designated “red zones”. Some counties like Gwinnett County have seen huge spikes in infections.

Georgia Department of Public Health officials report that the majority of new infections consist of unvaccinated people. George residents who are not vaccinated form the majority of all hospitalizations and deaths related to Covid -19. As of now, only about 42 percent of Georgians are fully vaccinated, having received both doses of the vaccine. That makes more than half of the population still highly vulnerable to this extremely contagious variant of the virus. Another feature of this new phase of the pandemic is the risk to children.

It is now imperative that residents get vaccinated as quickly as they can.  At this point, our state is one of only 11 states with vaccination rates below the 50 percent mark. Get yourself vaccinated, and make sure that your family members get both the shots at the stipulated times too.

By
Posted in: Covid- 19
Published on:
Updated:
Published on:

By

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphocytes or the white blood cells in your body. These white blood cells are a critical part of your immune system, carrying fluids throughout the lymph nodes across the body. A lymphoma is caused when these abnormal or cancerous lymphocytes get accumulated in the lymph nodes. Broadly, lymphomas are classified as Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. They are further classified as slow- growing or fast -growing lymphomas.

The type of lymphoma that the patient has will dictate the type of treatment he or she receives.  Doctors may consider different types of treatment options for lymphoma. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are some of the more common types of treatment. Additionally, targeted drug therapy, steroids, stem cell transplants, and antibody treatments may be used.

These treatments can result in complications and side effects such as anemia and chronic fatigue.  The person’s immune system may be weakened, increasing the risk of infections. Treatments can result in low counts of white blood cells and platelets, trouble controlling bowel movements and difficulty sleeping. If the patient is on radiotherapy, he or she may suffer from extreme fatigue  Fatigue may make it difficult to perform even daily routine tasks. With some types of treatment, side effects can continue for months after treatment begins, making it impossible to go to work and earn a living.

Continue reading →
By
Posted in: lymphoma
Published on:
Updated:
Published on:

By

Persons who suffer from arthritis may suffer intense pain at night, disturbing their sleep cycle and causing fatigue and drowsiness the next day.

One recent study with 133 subjects found that more than half of the arthritic patients reported suffering from lower quality sleep, because of the intense symptoms of their condition at night.  Other studies have indicated that arthritis sufferers may experience an intensification of pain at night, causing daytime fatigue and sleepiness.

Researchers have also tried to identify the reasons for the increased pain at night. One theory is that the body releases less cortisol at night which causes increased intensity of symptoms. Cortisol is a natural anti – inflammatory chemical which can control our response to pain.  Cytokines may also migrate to already- inflamed arthritis tissue at night time, causing more pain.

Continue reading →
By
Posted in: Arthritis
Published on:
Updated:
Published on:

By

The average disability payment handed out in 2020 was approximately $1200.  Many beneficiaries received lesser amounts, and payments can be as low as about $700 a month. Calls for an increase in the amount of disability benefits that Americans can recover after becoming disabled, are increasing.

The Unites States has the dubious distinction of paying out some of the lowest amounts in benefits in the developed world. Benefits payments have not kept pace with all the external factors that can influence a person’s cost of living.  Living expenses in many areas in Georgia have increased, while disability checks remain the same.

Apart from inflation, there are other reasons why a disability check just isn’t sufficient to sustain many beneficiaries. The amount that beneficiaries are eligible to receive from other federal and state programs can also be very low. When you are eligible for Workers’ Compensation in addition to disability benefits, you may find that the other benefits lead to a reduction in the amount of disability benefits that you recover.

Continue reading →
Contact Information
5555 Glenridge Connector, Suite 200
Atlanta , GA 30342
Phone: (404) 255-9838 Email: lisa@lisasiegellaw.com

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2021, Lisa Siegel
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design